I'm Alive!!

I'll try to rehash as much as I can remember before it is permanently wiped from my memory slate!

I woke up around 8:00 on Thursday. I showered and did my hair, knowing I wouldn't be showering again for 3-5 days (yuck, I know). I made sure my suitcase was all packed up and waited for Matt to get ready.

We left for the hospital around 10:00 and arrived around 10:45. We waited for my pre-op nurse to come get me. She came for me around 10:10. She weighed me and gave me a lovely paper gown and some circulatory socks to put on. I got cozy in the hospital bed and then she hooked me up to an IV and took my vitals. My nurse was totally pre-occupied with something else and took FOREVER to do this stuff, so Matt wasn't able to come back and sit with me for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, she finished up her prep work and brought Matt to me. He sat with me for a while, and then the anesthesiologist showed up. She was Indian and looked to be in her mid 30's. She had a very soothing voice and answered all my questions. FUN FACT: The risk groups for remembering/waking up during a surgical procedure are C Section and trauma patients. She gave me a little something to relax me while I waited for the surgeon to come in.

He eventually showed up and answered some questions. Yes, I was going to wake up in a collar. No, I wasn't going to have any hardware to fuse the vertebra together - just bone from my hip. It would probably take 2 hours.

After my surgical nurse came in and put my cap on and took my vitals again, they wheeled me into the OR. It was much nicer and less Frankenstein-looking than the one I had the D&C in at Sherman. They used a sheet to move me to the OR table. Then the anesthesiologist gave me something and I was out.

I woke up to them saying, "Heather...Heeaathherr...can you squeeze my hand? Good. Can you move your feet? Good." They wheeled me to recovery soon after.

I kept dozing in and out. My throat was less sore than I expected. I wasn't in too much pain, except I couldn't open my left eye! A few hours later, my room still wasn't ready, so they brought Matt back in to sit with me for a while. He helped me eat a couple popsicles. And he was there to hold my hand while the nurse flushed out my eye.

My hospital room wasn't ready until 9:00 at night...keep in mind I was out of surgery by 3:00!! It was nice to finally have a room. Matt's mom, sister, and brother came up to see me and give me some treats, but I was pretty out of it. The anesthesia was still going strong in my system. Matt stayed with me until 10:30 and then left to get some food and some sleep.

I tried to get up and pee around midnight but made the mistake of looking at my IV. I saw all that blood sitting in the tube and almost passed out. They got me back to my bed and gave me anti-nausea meds and some morphine! They said they'd have to put a catheter in if I wasn't able to pee by 5 am. Luckily, nurses were in every 30-60 min so I was able to pee by 2:00 with the help of a nurse. They kept giving me morphine every 4 hours and life was good.

For breakfast I was able to eat the scrambled/fried egg off a breakfast sandwich, and my physical therapist brought me some sherbert. I rested until Matt arrived around 11:00. He brought me a smoothie from Jamba Juice <3

My lunch - baked mostaccoli - came around 1:00. Matt ran down to get a salad so he could eat with me. My nurse came in to get me ready to be discharged after that. By 2:00 I was on my way home!

As soon as I got home I hopped into bed. I rested while Matt ran some errands. After he got home, I realized getting out of bed at home was even harder than in the hospital. somehow I made it through the night, sleeping on the couch and even a small Ikea rocking chair. Matt ran out this morning and got me a nice leather La-Z-Boy. I imagine that will go in our nursery one day. For now, it's my temporary bed in our family room by the big screen tv.

Well, that was my experience. Right now my throat is a little dry, my hip really hurts and it's hard to put weight on that leg, and my neck is a little stiff and sore, but at least I'm not at risk for paralysis anymore! I plan to start walking for an hour each day in 10-15 min increments once I feel up to it. I want to be out of this brace and into a soft collar in 3 weeks.

For now I am off to use my recliner. My shoulder is starting to hurt from all the typing...and the Vicodin is calling my name!